Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
J enna woke and saw nylon, then blinked. She was in a tent.
She registered Park wrapped around her from behind, holding her tight. She smiled and enjoyed the moment. Enjoyed the feel of him, and the soft sound of his breathing. He was a man who the word soft rarely applied to anything about him.
It was time to admit that she was falling hard for this scarred, intense hero. She breathed deeply.
And it was too late, she couldn’t stop it.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Maybe she didn’t want to stop it.
Park’s hand moved, sliding up under her T-shirt and cupped her breast. She sucked in a breath at the electric sensations.
“Good morning,” she murmured.
“Usually, I don’t care about anything when I wake up. I don’t care about what day it is or what I’m going to do. I just wake up and get going.” His voice was low and still raspy with sleep. “But waking up beside you changes everything.”
His words made her chest hitch. He bit her neck, hitting a sensitive spot. With a gasp, she arched into him. He plucked at her nipple, taking his time to tease her. Her hand twisted in the sleeping bag covering them. Then his hand moved down her body, stroking her skin.
“ Park …”
“I love the way you say my name.” He bit her neck again, catching the tendon between his teeth.
Then his hand slid into her shorts, between her thighs, and stroked. She moved restlessly, desire coiling in her belly. With a growl, he shoved her shorts down her legs.
The hot need inside her built so fast and so high. It was always like this with him. He just had to touch her and she went up in flames.
He hitched her leg up and over his thigh, then she felt his hard cock brush her buttock. Anticipation skittered through her.
Then, he thrust into her from behind.
Jenna moaned. She was so full. So connected to him.
“ God ,” he growled. “This is the best feeling ever, sliding inside of you.”
Did he know how much those words got to her? How they made her feel?
Then he started thrusting.
In that moment, she didn’t think about anything else. Couldn’t think. It was just the two of them and all she could do was feel.
His thumb found her clit and his fingers stroked where she was stretched around him. The speed of his thrusts picked up.
“Get there, Jenna.”
She moaned. She felt her orgasm getting closer. All the sensations swirling inside her, centered on where this man was thrusting inside her.
“I’m close,” she panted.
“Come for me. Now.”
“ Yes! ” Suddenly, her climax hit in a wild, potent rush. “ Park .”
He gripped her hip hard, and plunged inside her again and again. On his final thrust, he filled her deeply and groaned through his own release. His fingers bit into her skin.
They both lay there, panting hard as they fought to catch their breath.
“There are some perks to camping,” she said.
Park’s low laugh was music to her ears. That was laugh number two.
“I need to clean up,” she murmured.
“I’ll make coffee and breakfast. We need to pack up and get back on the trail.”
She sat up. “You think he’s close? Camping somewhere nearby?”
“I hope so.”
Jenna hoped so too. She wanted Olson locked away where he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Soon, she and Park had changed, eaten, and packed up their gear.
It was warm today, with the sun shining overhead in a blue, cloudless sky. Jenna had worked up a sweat as they hiked. The trees were sparse and the land here was flat. The mountains ahead were breathtaking.
“There’s a public campground a few klicks away,” Park said looking at the map.
“My guess is that he’d avoid people.” Jenna scanned around. “He’d hide somewhere. In a place with a good vantage point and view. Somewhere where he can see us coming.”
“Except the tops of all the mountains here have no trees. Doesn’t leave many places to hide. He’ll stay close.” Park crouched. “He definitely came this way. Shoe print.”
They kept moving, moving into an area with more trees. She breathed in the fresh, green, piney scent.
Suddenly, Park stopped. There was an intense look on his face.
She slowed her steps. “What is it?” She hadn’t heard or seen anything. She looked into the trees, searching for what had set him off.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Something…”
Jenna took another step, her boot moving through a pile of leaf debris.
Click .
Suddenly, Parker’s full weight hit her.
They flew through the air and hit the ground.
Boom .
Dirt and leaves rained over them.
“Oh God.” Her heart thundered in her chest.
Park rolled them.
“Jenna, are you okay?” With a worried look on his face, he sat up, patting down her body.
“I’m okay.” She tried to get her pulse to calm down.
“You sure?” He kept patting, a dark look in his eyes.
“Park.” She cupped his scarred cheek. “I’m okay.”
His gaze met hers and her chest locked. So dark, so tortured.
She leaned forward and kissed him.
He made a sound, then cupped her head, and took control of the kiss. It was hard, forceful. Jenna poured herself into it, wanting to comfort him.
When they broke apart, the sound of their raspy breathing filled her ears. He pressed his forehead to hers.
“That was a booby-trap,” she said. “Like the ones at the Hoskins’ place.”
“Yeah. Olson mustn’t be far away. This was a warning. It lets him know if anyone’s close.”
She stiffened. “He’ll be coming.”
“Or running from us.” Park helped her up. “We’ll have to move cautiously. There could be more booby-traps.”
She nodded and looked at the trees. She registered a glint in the shadows under one large spruce.
Adrenaline hit her, and she rammed her shoulder into Park.
A bullet whizzed past and hit the tree trunk behind them.
Without hesitation, Park pulled his handgun out and returned fire. He grabbed Jenna’s arm, dragging her back behind a tree.
More gunfire filled the air.
They pressed together. She had a cool, focused look on her face. She wasn’t afraid, she was pissed.
“We need to get over behind those rocks,” he told her. “It’ll give us better cover.”
She studied the boulders and nodded. She pulled her own Glock out.
“I’ll give you cover fire,” he said.
“All right.”
“On three. One. Two. Three .” Park aimed into the trees and laid down fire. Jenna sprinted, moving quickly, then dove and rolled in behind the rocks. A second later, she popped up and started firing.
Park took off at a sprint. He zigzagged, and slid in beside her.
The shooting stopped.
“It’s over, Olson,” Jenna yelled. “The US Marshals Service is taking you in. You can keep running, but I’ll keep coming.”
“Good speech,” a voice called back.
Park pressed his lips together. “That’s him.”
Olson fired again, and Park and Jenna ducked low. When there was a break in the hail of bullets, she raised her voice. “Stop wasting all our time. Just give yourself up. Make it easier for you.”
“Let me think.” There was a sarcastic edge to his voice. “No.”
Olson fired on them again.
Park rose to his knees and fired back. Beside him, Jenna did the same.
They could get lucky and hit him.
They both pulled back into cover.
“You’ll never catch me,” Olson yelled, his voice echoing through the trees. “I’m not going back in.”
“Because you like killing too much,” Park yelled.
Olson was silent for a moment. “Just like you do. I should’ve figured they’d bring in someone from Ghost Ops to help find me. I remember you, Conroy. A quiet, boring do-gooder.”
“I remember you too. An asshole.”
They traded more gunshots.
“I don’t think he likes you,” Jenna said.
“I’m heartbroken.”
“I saw you at the hunting cabin with the pretty marshal, Conroy. When I tried to blow her brains out.”
Park tensed.
Jenna put a hand on his arm and shot him a warning look.
“And did you like my work with the older couple?” There was sick pleasure in the fucker’s voice.
“Ah, but you were rushed,” Jenna said. “You’re just another two-bit killer, Olson. There’s nothing special about you. You’ll be in good company in prison.”
Seconds ticked by. “You’ll never catch me. Conroy, you’re not as good as me. I heard you got captured. That you became the Taliban’s plaything.”
Park sucked in a breath, his fingers tightening on the butt of his gun.
“I’m going to make the pretty marshal my plaything,” Olson continued. “Make you watch while I hurt her.”
Park couldn’t hold it in. He popped up and fired. He heard Olson’s laughter somewhere in the trees.
With a curse, Park dropped back down and pressed his back to the rocks.
“Don’t let him bait you,” Jenna said.
He gave her a clipped nod. That was easier said than done. Especially when he threatened her.
No one was laying a hand on her.
No one was tying her up, keeping her captive, hurting her.
There were more shots, but Olson didn’t say anything else.
Then the gunfire paused.
“Can we circle around to him?” she asked.
Park frowned. “There could be more booby-traps.”
Another few shots came in their direction. Park leaned up and fired back.
They had to do something. They’d run out of ammo soon.
“Call Owen,” he said. “We need back up.”
Jenna nodded and pulled out her satellite phone.
Park sent a few more shots at Olson while Jenna urgently talked with Owen. The gunfire stopped again, and he frowned. He felt a whisper of unease. Why was Olson keeping them pinned down?
“Owen’s on the way.” She checked her weapon. “He’ll be here with the state troopers in the helicopter soon.”
“Something’s not right,” Park said.
“That spidey sense of yours is a little freaky.”
“Vander’s is worse.” He rose into a crouch. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
“Hell, no.” She gripped his sleeve. “We go together.”
“There’s no point both of us leaving cover.”
“Then I’ll go.”
“Absolutely not,” he gritted out.
“I’m law enforcement. You’re a civilian.”
He made a sound. “Fine. We’ll both go.” Gunfire came their way again and he frowned.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s the same amount of time between the shots.”
Her brows drew together. “What?”
He rose but stayed low. “Follow me. Stay behind me.”
Cautiously, he raced out of cover and ducked into the trees. Jenna stayed one step behind him.
Using the trees for cover, they approached Olson’s location. There were more gunshots. Olson was still firing at the rocks where they’d been hiding.
They circled through the trees, and then Park cursed.
“What the hell?” Jenna said.
A handgun was set up on a stand. They moved in closer, and Park looked around, aiming his gun at the trees. There was no sign of Olson.
A second later, the gun fired again.
He’d rigged it to fire on a timed interval. Park cursed again.
“He set this up. To give himself a head start.”